Some of the most promising and therapeutically most useful anticancer agents are the sugar substituted linear polynuclear aromatic systems which have been isolated from microorganisms. We have developed efficient, general, regioselective construction methodology for preparation of the aromatic portions of these antibiotic systems. The methodology will be applied to the synthesis of the aglycone groups of selected anticancer antibiotics: daunorubicin-adriamycin, chromomycins-olivamycins and pillaromycin-chromocyclomycin. Application of the methodology will also permit syntheses of less highly functionalized analogues of these antibiotics which will aid in the elucidation of the structural features essential for biological activity.